godfather

At the end of the ten-year catastrophe, the country has brought order out of chaos, and a thousand wastes are waiting for prosperity. The spring breeze of the prelude to reform and opening up blows across the river north and south, and blows to this yellow land that has gone through hardships.

Meng Xiaobei stepped on the train to Beijing, and his parents personally sent him to Baoji Railway Station.This trip, he went with his godfather, carrying all their luggage and belongings on their shoulders, as well as a large pile of Xigou local products for relatives in Beijing.

Meng Xiaobei's luggage was very heavy, and there were three pairs of woolen trousers specially woven for him by Ma Baochun. Considering his future figure, he knitted three sizes: small, medium and large. If you grow taller, wear the third one.A lot of painstaking efforts, but Meng Xiaobei may not be considerate when he was a wolf.

Meng Jianmin trusted He Shaotang so much at that time, he entrusted all his trust and hope to Shaotang, and entrusted his son to him.

That is to say, in those days, the family had a large population, and boys were free-ranged. They played soy sauce at the age of four or five, went to the streets at the age of seven or eight, and were sent away to join the army or work at the age of fifteen or sixteen.

Meng Jianmin took Shaotang's arm and smoked a heart-to-heart cigarette in the corner of the platform.

Meng Jianmin said: "My mother and father are old. The old man takes care of his grandson, so he tends to over-spoil the child and spoil the child. Please help me discipline that brat!"

Shaotang nodded: "I know."

Meng Jianmin said again: "That kid is wild! If he is disobedient, you can whip him with your belt. I have absolutely no problem with whipping him. You are his father too!"

Shaotang smiled and said, "That's nothing to say, he listens to me."

Meng Jianmin also said: "After all, the old man is old, and some things may not be fixed, please help me..."

Shaotang nodded seriously: "Don't worry, I understand."

Meng Xiaobei squatted on the luggage bag, eavesdropped with squinting eyes, and thought silently: Who spoils me so much?Is there a second person in this world who dotes on me more than my godfather?

Baoji Railway Station is a large station, extremely crowded and full of people. Someone pulled out a large red banner saying "Welcome Xigou soldiers to Beijing" or something.

The officers and soldiers of a regiment in Qishan were transferred to a certain unit stationed in Beijing. This time, Xiaobei went to Beijing with a car of soldiers, taking a seat together.

At the end of the 70s, materials were still scarce, and quilts were all in short supply. Each person in the family had one quilt, and people had to carry bedding rolls wherever they went.What's more, Meng Xiaobei's quilt is a satin quilt brought by his grandmother from Beijing, not the thread quilt used by ordinary people.The satin quilt is a high-end product that ordinary people only buy when they get married. A quilt is worth more than ten or twenty yuan.

His godfather made fun of him: "Carry the quilt well, don't lose it halfway, this quilt will still be covered until you get married and get a wife."

At that time, Xiaobei's eyebrows and eyes showed coolness, like a little adult: "It's still early for me to marry a wife, I'm not in a hurry."

Shaotang: "In a few years, it's time to be impatient."

Xiaobei: "Godfather, I think you're quite impatient, your quilt is so torn, why don't you give me my good one for you to use as a wife?!"

He Shaotang bit his cigarette and smiled, and said in an even more embarrassing tone: "I really don't need it! I'm not naked at all, just watch, there are girls who are eager to be nice to me!"

Xiaobei asked with a smirk, "Godfather, how is Aunt Geng from your literary and art propaganda team? I didn't go back to Beijing with you, so what should I do?"

Xiaobin next to him picked up the quarrel, pointed his hand fiercely, and his expression was full of jealousy and hatred: "Meng Xiaobei, you are an idiot, what kind of cultural and art propaganda team, let me tell you, that kid still has people in Beijing! The army art troupe, beautiful Let's go!"

Meng Xiaobei pondered in his heart, there is still Shaotang, the army art troupe...

The old-fashioned green leather train started rumbling on the railway, with a loud whistle and billowing black smoke.

The seats are a small table for six people facing each other, Meng Xiaobei dominates the table, eating the delicious bread and biscuits that Shaotang brought him, full of yearning for a new life.

Besides, after this group of people returned to Beijing, they settled down a bit and began to solve the most fundamental problems of food, clothing, housing and transportation.

After all, for the Meng family, there is suddenly an extra grandson who can run, make trouble and eat!

He Shaotang sent the child to the army first, and then went back to the army to report, going through various procedures and relationships, and it took several days.When he went to Meng's house during the holidays, when he stepped into the house, he found that Xiaobei hadn't settled down yet - the child had no place to live!

Holding cigarettes and alcohol, Shaotang was startled as soon as he entered the gate of Meng's house. In the two small rooms of Meng's house, there were no fewer than eleven or twelve people standing there!

He Shaotang was dressed in a white shirt and military trousers. When they first met, he was restrained and restrained. He nodded and said hello to everyone, very dignified and stable.

The cooking fume from the kitchen is choking, people are coming and going in the aisle, and a large bunch of Shandong garlic heads are hung on the window of the back room.

Meng Jianmin's eldest sister, "Dana" who is in charge of the family, has the loudest voice, she looked back and asked: "This is that, that, Xiaobei, is this your uncle called 'godfather'?...Ai , isn’t he going to live with you at our mother’s house?!”

When Shaotang heard this, he hurriedly said: "I don't live here... I live in the army dormitory."

This is equivalent to being Meng Xiaobei's eldest aunt.

Xiaobei's biological father had four younger sisters, so Meng Xiaobei also had a second aunt, a third aunt, and a younger sister!

Shaotang searched the house carefully, thinking, it's really possible, the Meng family really has a prosperous population, and there are really many children.In the May 60s, the revolutionary leaders waved their hands, and the population and production construction carried out the Great Leap Forward. At that time, it was emphasized that a large number of people was a productive force. More children were required, and more children were encouraged. By having children, you are making a contribution to our country.The old lady of the Meng family gave birth to five non-stop in ten years, basically giving birth to one child in two years.

As a result, our country's productivity failed to achieve a leap forward, and the population base skyrocketed geometrically. This large civilian family is a typical epitome.

Besides the situation of the Meng family, Meng Xiaobei's elder aunt and second aunt had already married off and started a family, so they would not have lived in her mother's house in the first place.The third aunt has already talked about a partner, and she will pack up and go live with her in-law's house soon after she gets her certificate.Only my sister-in-law is young and has nowhere to go.

On this day, by coincidence, all four of Meng Xiaobei's aunts are here!

The aunt brought her granddaughter to visit her grandma. The little girl is cute and sweet, she is Xiaobei's cousin.

The second aunt brought her grandson to sit on the kang in the hut, sulked, quarreled with her husband, and ran back to her mother's house to live!

Granny Meng carried the rolling pin and kneaded the dough vigorously on the cutting board in the kitchen. She was also angry: "Jianxia, ​​let me tell you, go to your own house immediately! Don't live here, I don't have a place for you!"

The second aunt sat on the kang lazily and did not move: "If I don't go back, I will fight when I get back. I don't even bother to fight with him, and I don't bother to talk to him."

Grandma Meng: "Don't bother to talk to him, you're married too! The son is born, so why don't you spend all day?!"

Second Aunt: "Annoy him, don't do anything serious, go out and run around all day, and think I don't work when I get home."

Grandma Meng: "You two hate each other when you go home, don't get in the way of me and your father."

The second aunt shouted: "I said mother, are you still my mother? Am I your daughter?!"

Grandma Meng is old-fashioned, and she speaks bluntly: "I married you off! The married girl, you are from the Wang family, so why don't you come back and chase the rest? Go to their house for a fight, don't go back to your mother's house to piss you off." Look, mother ye!"

Sangu had a fashionable hair perm in the barber shop of the second factory cooperative, and came in.

The most fashionable curly hair of the young women in the early days of the opening was permed according to the hair of Gong Xue, the popular lover at that time.

Grandma Meng looked up at the third girl, and said in a strong tone, "Why are you back too? Are you coming back to catch up?!"

Sangu has a good temper, with thin skin, tender flesh and round body: "I... just went to the cooperative to get my head permed."

Grandma Meng's voice was really loud: "It's so hot that it's a leftover! No way!"

Seeing that the situation was not good, the third aunt slipped away after sitting for 2 minutes, and went to the next building to find her partner to play.

After a while, another man came in with his head sullen, a cigarette in his mouth, and a black "Pian'er shoe". His tone of voice was that of a Beijing native who came out of Nancheng Hutong, but he was their second uncle.

Second uncle: "Jianxia...come home with me."

Second aunt: "Who are you, don't come to my house, I won't come back."

The second son-in-law: "It's fine if you don't come back, you can just stay here, it's fine, you give me your son."

The second aunt: "Will you give your son something to eat or drink? You go out and go wild!"

The couple quarreled on the spot, you come and go.The aunt then helped her younger sister scold her brother-in-law, and then helped her brother-in-law educate her younger sister.Grandma Meng chased away the second daughter and uncle with a rolling pin: "There are guests at home, what a waste of time! Let me go home and quarrel!"

……

On this day, there was a lot of chaos.

He Shaotang was an eye-opener. After poking at Meng's house for an hour, he didn't even drink his saliva, and he didn't even have a place to sit.

The fourth girl of the Meng family was soft-spoken and not in good health. She sat on the corner of the bed, stretched her head to look at Shaotang for a long time, and quietly moved a stool for Shaotang...

During this period, Meng Xiaobei had been sitting in the big room, squeezed into the only small space left by his grandfather's writing desk, entertaining himself by drawing pictures and sketching the set of "Water Margin" comic books.A child from a poor family is not picky about the living environment, and he doesn't care about the people and affairs in front of him.

Meng Xiaobei's bedrolls were piled up in the corner.He just sat on the big bed roll, rolled it out to sleep at night, and rolled it up during the day, otherwise there would be nowhere to put it.

Xiaobei winked at his godfather, under his thin eyelids, his expression was still mischievous and optimistic.

Shaotang stared blankly at the door of the house, watching the boy buried his head in painting, and suddenly he couldn't bear it anymore, he was very uncomfortable, and felt sorry for this boy.

Meng Xiaobei hurriedly asked at the first sentence: "Have you been transferred to the Changping suburban army?"

Shaotang whispered softly, and blew hot air into his son's ear: "We don't go to Changping, we will build a new detachment in the city."

"That's great." Meng Xiaobei's tone was light, his heart was full of joy, he was most concerned about this, and he didn't care whether he was sleeping on the bed or on the ceiling.

Shaotang stood behind Xiaobei, pinching his thin shoulders.Xiao Bei asked, "What good things did you bring?"

Shaotang mouthed: Xifeng.

Meng Xiaobei was overjoyed and mouthed: I like it.

Shaotang said, "It's for your grandfather, not for you."

Meng Xiaobei said: "My grandfather likes to drink Shandong Daqu. I don't care for your Xifeng, but I do. What should I do?"

Shaotang pinched Meng Xiaobei's back waist affectionately, and quietly stuffed a handful of toffee into Xiaobei's trouser pocket, fearing that he would not be able to eat it if he was divided among so many relatives.

To say that Xiaobei’s grandparents lived in this house, when they first moved in in the 50s, it was the best dormitory area for family members of state-owned enterprises in Beijing.The red brick sloping roof, the three-story building, is in a better condition than the Hutong courtyard in the city.

To the east of Hongmiao, the large area of ​​Balizhuang in Ciyun Temple was the dormitory area of ​​the No. 50 Factory, No. [-] Factory and No. [-] Factory at that time. In the [-]s, in order to cooperate with the industrial construction of the capital, a large number of workers were transferred from the most advanced foreign textile companies in Shanghai and Qingdao during the Republic of China to Beijing. In order to accommodate these people, this large area of ​​houses was built.This house, from that era, was already considered high-end, but from the current point of view, the two rooms are too crowded, and there is no living room in that house!

He Shaotang secretly counted the number of people with his eyes. Population is the productivity that creates conflicts.Meng Jianmin made a miscalculation. He originally thought that the conditions in Beijing could be better than Xigou, but first of all, housing has become a problem!

Grandma Meng is a strong and capable working woman. During this hour, she chatted with the eldest daughter, scolded the second daughter and second son-in-law with a spatula, and even cooked a few dishes. A pot of fragrant noodles.

He Shaotang was the guest, and Grandma Meng had a very good impression of Shaotang, and she was very affectionate, and she kept calling at the table: "The spoon is hot, eat this, fried clams with eggs!"

Pick up food for the big baby again: "Beibei—eat vegetables!"

Meng Xiaobei's mouth was full: "Well, grandma, I'm not called Beibei."

A table of Qingdao-style home-cooked dishes, with soaked razor clams in the stewed noodles, which is very fresh.These are seafoods sent by relatives in Grandma Meng's hometown in Shandong, and they are not sold in the second factory cooperative.

Meng Xiaobei is not honest when eating.His cousin is obediently making the stool, while Meng Xiaobei, who acts as a brother to others, is the monkey on the chair, and he squats to eat!

Grandma smacked her lips: "Why don't you sit still? Sit down!"

Meng Xiaobei drooped his small eyelids, squatted and picked up the noodle bowl: "It's comfortable to eat like this."

Grandma said: "Your stomach is nestled, can you eat it?"

Meng Xiaobei said: "If I don't nest, I won't be able to eat comfortably!"

Grandma shook her head: "Who can I learn from! There are no rules!"

Meng Xiaobei cast a wink from the edge of the rice bowl, and aimed at his godfather: who else could he learn from.

He Shaotang also buried his head in chopping the noodles, embarrassed to say.He usually serves a large bowl with two steamed buns in the bowl, and squats down at the gate of the post to eat.

The second aunt said while eating: "I heard from my brother that our Xiaobei is Tepi. He played downstairs last night and pried open the big iron door of the floor drain. The iron door hit me. It was there when he was born, and Meng Xiaobei pried it open the first day he came!"

"It's only been a few days since he came here, and all the children in the building know him. Every evening, a group of boys downstairs wait for him and ask Meng Xiaobei when he will come down to take them to play?!"

"He was very dishonest when he slept at night. He kicked on both sides in the middle of sleep, and rolled directly to the ground on the edge of sleep, and kept squeezing me!"

The aunts chattered a lot, but Grandma Meng didn't like to hear it anymore, and she replied: "It's too crowded? You think it's too crowded and you go back to sleep at your own house. Don't you have a couple in the same bed at home! Is there any place for my grandson to come?" What do you think you should do? Who told you to come?!"

The second aunt then bowed her head and said nothing.

Grandma Meng still loves her son and grandson the most in her heart. When her son is not in front of her, the one who makes her think about it is Xiaobei.Meng Jianmin is the only seedling of their Meng family, and Meng Xiaobei is the grandson of the eldest son!As for the girls, they are all raised by others!

After dinner that day, Shaotang told Grandma Meng to go downstairs to smoke a cigarette, and then gave Xiaobei a wink...

The two walked side by side, squatting and chatting affectionately in a place where no one was downstairs, as if they had developed a tacit understanding over the years.

Meng Xiaobei talked to Shaotang about the joys at home all the way, vividly and vividly.

Shaotang asked: "There are seven or eight people in your two rooms, how do you sleep at night?"

Meng Xiaobei said: "Sleeping together! My grandparents sleep on the bed in the big house, and I sleep on the bed in the small room with my second aunt, third aunt, sister-in-law and second aunt's child."

Five people in one bed?

Shaotang frowned, wanted to laugh but found it incredible...

On the contrary, the person involved didn't think so, Meng Xiaobei shook his head: "What is this, everyone is like this! Godfather, let me tell you, you know Shen Dawei from Xigou, that little fat man!"

Shaotang nodded, knowing that he was Meng Xiaobei's childhood friend, and he and Xiaobei were also sent back to Beijing by their parents.

Xiao Bei gloated and described: "Fortunately, our family is relatively slender, and Shen Dawei is pitiful. Their family is fat, and his mother and aunt are fatter than the other! He said that he got up at night to pee. There is no other place, lumps of meat, even the corner of the wall, he has to wake up all his aunts, line up again, and squeeze in to sleep again! They are so crowded that they can't even turn over I can't turn it over, hahahaha I laughed so hard!..."

At that time, it was common for ordinary people in the city to live in high-rise buildings, and it was common for five or six people to sleep in one room. Hardship had become a virtue in life.That is to say, He Shaotang's family is a high-ranking local tyrant of the Communist Party, and he has never slept like this at home, so he finds it unbearable.

Shaotang gave Xiaobei an idea: "Go to the big house and sleep on the bed with your grandparents."

Meng Xiaobei slapped his thigh, and said in grief and indignation: "My grandma snores while sleeping!!!"

"I slept with her for two nights, and then I couldn't take it anymore, so I went back to the hut! If someone could sleep with her, it would have been by now, otherwise why would they all squeeze into another room!"

"My grandfather has been living for so many years, how did he live this day, God!"

"As for my grandma's loudness and shock, it can catch up with the snoring of you godfather, Uncle Xiaobin, and Uncle Guangli!... No, it can catch up with the combined volume of all of you in the class." !"

Meng Xiaobei had a talent for acting since he was a child, and his expression was extremely exaggerated. He slapped his thigh and laughed wildly while talking. He was sad and bitter but had an optimistic and open-minded nature, especially good at making fun of suffering.

Meng Xiaobei said sincerely, "Godfather, I actually just want to sleep with you."

"Sleeping with you is the most comfortable."

Shaotang: "Why are you comfortable with me?"

Meng Xiaobei's voice was suddenly clear, and it was rare to be coquettish: "You let me kick and roll around freely——Your legs are hairy and fluffy, and it's so warm to rub against the soles of your feet!"

Shaotang's mood suddenly softened, he really liked this little villain.

He reached out and rubbed Xiaobei's prickly head, and said, "If you don't feel comfortable living here, I'll find you a house to live in... I have a house."

Meng Xiaobei found a godfather with a background, and his godfather actually has a vacancy!